Nest Labs, Inc. architect of the thoughtful home, has announced a number of updates to the Works with Nest program, making it the most comprehensive platform for developers building connected home products. Specific updates include:

• Nest Weave – Developed by Nest and previously used in only Nest products, this communication protocol lets devices talk directly to each other and to Nest products. Nest Weave solves many issues associated with connecting products in the home, including the ability to connect power-constrained devices as well as devices that require low latency and redundancy. The Linus lock by Yale is the first Works with Nest product to use Nest Weave.

• Nest Cam API – The new camera API lets developers connect their products to Nest Cam for this first time. August, Mimo, Petnet, Philips hue and Skybell are the first third-party products to launch Nest Cam integrations providing improved safety and awareness in the home.

Nest Cam

• Works with Nest Store – The Works with Nest Store is an online catalog of all Works with Nest products. Nest developers can apply to have their products featured in the store so that customers can easily find and use them.

Nest system in action

More than 11,000 developers have accessed Nest’s APIs to connect with Nest products, through the cloud – and 1 in 8 Nest homes are using a Works with Nest integration. Developers have built everything from appliances that know not to run when energy prices are high – to light bulbs that flash when there’s smoke in the house. Now, Nest Weave gives developers an entirely new way to work with Nest.

With the addition of Nest Weave to the Works with Nest program, any product – even power-constrained ones – can connect with Nest. Through Nest Weave or Nest’s cloud APIs, developers can access Home and Away states, smoke and carbon monoxide alerts, motion and sound alerts, and peak energy rush hour events to create interesting and meaningful integrations across iOS, Android and the Web, while still maintaining control of their own user experiences.

In addition, developers can integrate their products with the Nest app and apply to have them included in the Works with Nest Store. And to help grow their businesses, developers can leverage Nest’s relationships with more than 40 retailers across 8,000 stores, professional installers, and energy companies around the world. Developers can visitdeveloper.nest.com to get started.

“Building a connected product is hard,” said Matt Rogers, vice president of engineering, Nest. “We’ve been doing it for the past five years and have first-hand experience with the challenges. That’s why we want to make it easier for developers. We’re offering proven technologies like Nest Weave, along with cloud services and the ability to integrate with the Nest app. Developers have an end-to-end solution when they work with Nest, and can use only the parts of the program that meet their needs.”

• Reliability – Nest Weave delivers reliable messaging across multiple networks. And because it runs over Thread, it can work with a secure, self-healing mesh network. So even if one device crashes or Wi-Fi goes down, other devices on the network will keep working. This is especially important for safety and security products, like smoke alarms or security systems.

• Latency – Nobody wants lag time when switching on the lights or unlocking the door. Nest Weave allows devices to talk directly to other devices so they can interact with end-to-end latencies of less than 100ms, even over a large mesh network.

• Range – When Nest Weave runs over Thread, each powered device acts as a wireless extender to route information. That’s critical when Wi-Fi doesn’t reach every corner of the house.

• Power and size – The Nest Weave communications protocol is compact and runs on single MCU devices with as little as 64KB of RAM. And a device using Thread and Weave can run on a single battery for many years. This solves many problems for small, low-powered products.

• Security – Rather than rely on only network security, Nest Weave provides its own, independent, end-to-end application layer security. The Nest Weave security stack also has application-specific encryption keys, so a hacker can’t unlock the front door by compromising the patio lights.

• Simple setup – Pairing connected devices can be tricky. Nest Weave lets people get connected right from their smartphones using the Nest app.

Some of the biggest and most important brands in the home have committed to using Nest Weave in their products. The initial list of companies includes Big Ass Solutions, Daikin North America, GE branded lighting controls, Hunter Douglas, iHome, Legrand, LIFX, Lutron Electronics, P&G, Philips hue, Rachio, Somfy, SkyBell, Tyco, and WeMo. In addition, Google’s OnHub router will work with Nest Weave in the future.

OnHub a router for the new way Wi- Fi

To facilitate development, Dialog, Freescale, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., Qualcomma subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated and Silicon Labs will provide Nest Weave-certified kits and support to ensure that Works with Nest developers can be up and running as quickly as possible with their Nest Weave products. >

Smart Things SMart Homes Qualcomm Smart Gateway

Thread - a new radio standard for the smart homeSamsung, ARM, Nest and four other companies got together last year , and built a new radio standard for the smart home. Dubbed Thread, it is a low-power, mesh network protocol that also supports IPv6. The standard is built on the existing radio hardware used by ZigBee devices (802.15.4), which means that a company could update its ZigBee devices to support Thread with software if it chooses.Unlike, Wi-Fi, which sends a lot of data and consumes a lot of power, Thread is designs to send small amounts of data and consume very little power. In that way it’s closer to Bluetooth. However, it also has two other unique characteristics in that it is a mesh network, that means all the devices can talk to any other device in the network and it can support speak directly to the Internet without going through a hub device such as a smartphone because it supports IPv6

Smart home water sprinkler system for the Garden

The Linus lock by Yale: A lock built for the Nest HomeUsing Nest Weave over Thread, the Linus lock by Yale is the first connected residential door lock to let people check if the door is open or closed, set up passcodes providing different levels of access for family members and guests, and see when they came and left – all from the Nest app. In addition, the ability to remotely check, lock and unlock the door means people will never have to worry about leaving their home unlocked again. Linus can also send safety and security alerts as well as daily, weekly and monthly home access history reports. By working with Nest, Linus can offer customers more security, convenience and insight than any other lock on the market.

“Named after our founder Linus Yale, who invented the original cylinder pin-tumbler lock in 1843, the Linus lock was created with the Nest home in mind,” said Jason Williams, general manager, Yale Locks & Hardware. “By working with Nest and taking advantage of Nest Weave, Nest cloud services and the Nest app, we were able to build the most thoughtful, innovative connected lock on the market.”

Yale Linus Lock

New camera API + products that work with Nest CamNest Cam is an easy-to-use cloud-based video monitoring camera and cloud service that lets people stay aware of what’s happening at home, no matter where they are. Nest Cam can already work with other Nest products – for example, it can automatically start recording when Nest Protect detects smoke. Now with Nest’s new camera API, developers can also build integrations that allow their products to connect with Nest Cam to provide improved safety and awareness in the home. The ability to work with both Nest and third-party products means Nest Cam can do more for people than any other connected camera on the market. The first developers to introduce integrations with Nest Cam include:

• August – When someone unlocks the door, Nest Cam will show a short animation that can be viewed right from the August app.

• Skybell – Turn the Nest Cam on or off from the SkyBell app, and if Nest Cam senses motion when everyone is away, it will tell SkyBell to start recording.

• Mimo – The Mimo onesie and baby monitor can keep an eye on things while the baby sleeps. And when baby stirs, Mimo can work with Nest Cam to show parents what’s happening in the nursery.

• Petnet – Petnet can work with Nest Cam to send a snapshot to the Petnet app, showing people when their pets are eating.

• Philips hue – When Nest Cam senses motion when everyone’s away, Philips hue lights can turn on as if someone were home.

Nest’s mission is to create a home that’s thoughtful - one that takes care of itself and the people inside it. The company focuses on simple, beautiful and delightful hardware, software and services. The Nest Learning Thermostat™ and Nest Energy Services keep you comfortable and address home energy consumption. The Nest Protect™ smoke and carbon monoxide alarm helps keep you safe and Nest Safety Rewards lets you save money through participating home insurance providers, while Nest Cam™ keeps an eye on what matters most in your home. Nest products are sold in the U.S., U.K., Canada, France, Belgium, Ireland and the Netherlands and are installed in more than 190 countries. The Nest Learning Thermostat has helped save approximately four billion kWh of energy to date. Through the Works with Nest program, third-party products can securely connect with Nest devices to make homes safer, more energy efficient, and more aware. For more information, visit www.nest.com.